Football Heads Never Change
by Razzle Bee
Summary: Helga moved away seven years ago. No real summery. I'm making this story up as I go.
1. Living Without Him

**Chapter 1** ****

**Living without Him**

She would never forget that terrible day. The day that Helga G. Pataki overheard her parents' plans to move away. Far away. If you look at it from another person's point of view, it would have appeared to be a good thing. Helga wasn't exactly the nicest girl around, and her leaving would be cause for celebration.

Even Phoebe, Helga's best, and practically only, friend told her it was a chance to change. To go where no one knew her and start all over again. Helga agreed with that, but still resented the idea of moving. **_Why?_** Arnold.

Helga's extremely serious crush and hopefully her future husband. The things Helga said behind closed doors, or when no one was looking. The passion and love she expressed with poetry at a level far beyond her years. All of it was about Arnold. Her world revolved around the boy. What would she do without him?

All of that was seven years ago. She couldn't remember anyone's faces; they were all blurry in her mind, all but one face, of course. There was no way she could forget about Arnold. Everyday she imagined how much he'd changed in seven years, wondered if he ever thought about her.

Helga blushed as she daydreamed about a sixteen-year-old Arnold. She reached under her bed and took out her "Arnold Box". A box she kept her memories in. Obsessed about him still? She couldn't deny that she was. She had changed though, and you wouldn't recognise her today.

"Really!?" Helga screamed into the phone, practically deafening Phoebe in the process.

"Yes, Really," Phoebe giggled. "He asked about you."

"A-Arnold asked about me?! What did he say?" She screamed again.

"He just asked if I still talked to you, and how you were." Phoebe laughed.

Helga let out a long frustrated sigh. "I really want to be there. This place is the pits. Nothing but complete morons here."

"I just remembered. I'm coming up to see you this weekend. My older brother is driving me." Phoebe said, casually.

Helga hatched an idea. Arnold. Maybe he could…also visit. "Phoebe! Get Arnold to come with you!"

Phoebe took a few moments before the words registered. "Do you think he'd come if I invited him?" Helga asked excitedly.

"I don't think so. After all, he's pretty busy with school, Jackie, taking care of his grandparents…"

"Jackie?" Helga muttered, an overwhelming feeling of hate coming over her, a feeling that she hadn't felt since the day she moved away.

Phoebe was silent.

"Who is _Jackie_?" Helga spat out the name as if it was poison. "Jackie is…Arnold's pet dog!" Phoebe shouted. "Anyway, bye Helga, see you soon!" she yelled hanging up the phone quickly.

Helga frowned. "What a terrible liar."

She pounced on her bed and reached under her pillow, pulling out her old locket. "Oh Arnold, have you met another girl? A dangerous seductress who steals your heart with every kiss? The thought of that is enough to make me sick, and turns my wavy hair into snakes that bite and hiss, why oh why did I ever have to leave you, my darling?"

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Bee: Well this is my first fanfic on HA! Hope you like how it started. Everyone is sixteen in this story. (Just lettin' ya know)

Please Review. Thanks for reading!


	2. Going Back

**Chapter 2**

**Going Back**

Soon it was Saturday morning and Helga woke up feeling devious. She had formed a plan over the past few days. A plan to see Arnold again. Just as she was getting dressed, the phone rang. Helga yelled out to her oblivious parents that the phone was for her and was answered back with another loud yell from Bob saying "I don't care!" She rolled her eyes. Some things never changed.

Helga answered the phone, it was exactly who she expected: Phoebe. "Hey, so are you on your way yet?" Helga asked, tucking the phone in between her neck and right shoulder. "We should be there in about twenty minutes, I can't believe how long this drive has been…it takes two hours to get to your place from mine." Phoebe replied.

"I told you so. Anyway, so by _**we**_ I'm assuming you mean you and your brother right?" Helga asked, brushing her hair. Phoebe fidgeted. She knew why Helga asked her that, she was really hoping that Arnold was with her. "Yep. Just me and Henry…sorry Helga." She said quietly.

"That's fine…it's not like I was expecting anyone else," Helga mumbled. "Well see you soon, bye." As she hung up the phone, she made her hands into fists and smirked. "Well, Arnold my darling, if you won't come to me, then I'll come to you."

Fifteen minutes later the doorbell rang. Helga ran downstairs and threw the door open. At first, Phoebe was startled, then she smiled. "Hello Olga, what are you doing here?"

Helga stared at her. _What? _"Phoebe are you wearing the wrong glasses? It's me, Helga. **Doi**." Phoebe cleaned her glasses and took another look. "Oh, you're right. Sorry," Phoebe laughed. "You really do look different though. Didn't you used to have just one eyebrow?"

Helga rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah but, I started fixing that a few years ago." The girls just took the next few moments looking at the ground. "E-enough about me, come on in! Where's your brother?" Helga shouted awkwardly.

"Right here. Hi Helga." Phoebe's brother, Henry, said. "Oh hi. Well come in you guys, make yourselves at home…if you can." Helga muttered, walking through the doorway. Henry put a hand on Phoebe's shoulder and whispered, "You told me that she was really mean…but she's nice."

Phoebe shrugged. "She _used _to be mean…"

_'Line Break'_

Helga ordered a pizza and the three of them went up to her room to watch a movie. Half way into it, Helga pulled Phoebe out into the hallway. "Phoebe you have to bring me back with you. It's not like my parents would care or even notice I'm gone and I really want to go back to my roots." she explained, looking at the floor.

"Helga. I can't do that. I do think your parents would notice you not being around and where would you go? You certainly can't stay at my house forever." Phoebe asked, placing her hands on the taller girl's shoulders. "Don't worry about that! I know where to go."

Phoebe frowned. "Helga you still can't, ok? I'm sorry." she said, returning back to Helga's room. Helga bit her bottom lip. "There must be some way to get there…" she told herself and joined Phoebe and Henry.

_'Line Break'_

Sunday Night 11:20 PM

"Well, have a good drive home, Pheebs. Keep in touch." Helga said, waving her hands. "Aren't you going to see us to the door?" Phoebe asked, scratching her head. "No no, it's late, I have to get to sleep." Helga mumbled, half yawning.

"I see. Well goodnight then."

As soon as Phoebe and Henry left her room, Helga grabbed the backpack she kept hidden under her bed and hopped out the window. She climbed down the vines that grew on the outer wall of her house quickly. She was a woman on a mission.

'It's been a really long time since I've done anything sneaky. I hope I haven't lost my touch over the years.' she thought, as she ran over to Henry's car.

She took a bobby pin from her hair and used it to unlock the trunk. She quickly squeezed herself in and shut the metal door, just as Phoebe and Henry left the house. Sure the trunk was uncomfortable and smelled weird but Helga had been in worse situations before. Now, just two hours and she'd be back where she belonged.

_'Line Break'_

Helga was woken up by her head being banged on the roof of the trunk. "Ugh…where am I? Oh yeah I must've dozed off." She looked at her glow-in-the-dark watch and noticed it was 8:14 AM. "Whoa! I was out for a while! I'm glad no one looked in the trunk!" She sighed with relief and kicked open the trunk, breathing in the smoggy city air.

She climbed out and stretched. "I'm home!" she beamed, throwing on her backpack and closing the trunk. She looked around. Things were different. Either that, or she just didn't remember what it was like before. One thing she did remember was, the place she was going to. The boarding house that Arnold lived in. If it was still there, of course.

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Bee: Chapter 2 was more fun to write. I always have trouble _starting_ things, but when I get into it, it seems easier.

Please Review. Thanks for reading!


	3. Arnold's Pet Dog

**Chapter 3**

**Arnold's "Pet Dog"**

"Bye Grandpa! I'm running late!" Arnold shouted, on his way out the door. "Hey wait a minute, Short Man! You forgot your lucky underwear!" Phil yelled, running after him. Arnold blushed and glared at his grandfather. Then he heard girlish giggling from behind him.

"Your grandpa is awesome, Arnold. I didn't know you had _lucky _underwear." she teased, between laughs. "I don't! Anyway, what are you doing here Jackie? Aren't you going to be late too?" He asked, walking over to her. "I won't be if we get going now, Football Head." She replied, taking his hand.

Arnold glared at the insult then slowly smiled. "Didn't I ask you to stop calling me that?" he laughed, beginning to walk with her. "You did. I'm just so used to it, and besides, I never mean it as an insult. It's…a pet name I guess?" she said, winking at him.

Arnold blushed and looked away. "Sure…I guess it's fine if we give each other pet names but not 'Football Head' ok?" Jackie ran her free hand through her ebony hair and sighed. "Ok fine. At least tell me why you don't like that one, and I'll make up a new one for you." Arnold stopped walking suddenly and looked at the ground.

He thought about the other person who used to call him that. The only thing that bugged him about the name 'Football Head' was that it reminded him of the girl who finally confessed her love and then moved away quite soon afterwards. Helga. Worst thing about remembering her now, was the fact that he couldn't get her out of his mind.

Even he didn't know what made him like the new girl, Jackie. When he met her in his first year of high school, she was a nightmare. After a year of getting to know her, he discovered that she was, in fact, crazy about him, but in 'high school' it was uncool to like someone younger. Jackie was almost a high school senior and almost eighteen now while Arnold had just turned sixteen. The two of them were locked up in the school equipment storage room by their classmates and had time to seriously talk.

"Arnold!"

Instantly slapped away from his memories, Arnold blinked at Jackie who had her arms crossed and looked like she was about to strangle him. "Uh- Sorry Jackie…I was just thinking."

"Well your _**thinking**_ just got us an hour of detention! Look at how late we are now!" she shouted, playfully punching him in the arm. "Sorry…we'd better run for it then."

_'Line Break'_

Helga screeched with happiness as she looked up at the old boarding house. Tons of memories flooding back into her mind. Being sure to fix her hair first, she rang the doorbell and waited.

A few moments later, Phil answered the door. "Hi there can I help you?" he asked. "Yeah, I'd like to rent a room in your boarding house." she replied, trying to be as polite as possible. "Aren't you a bit young to be living alone?"

"Of course not! I'm…tw-twenty years old!" she lied, fidgeting somewhat. "No rooms are available just yet, but there will be one this evening. Mr. Dorf is moving out." he replied, "How about you come back later?"

Helga groaned. "Can't you just tell Mr. _Dork_ to hurry up and shove off already?!" **SNAP!** All thoughts of politeness vanished. "Well that's not…"

"Actually, My name is Mr. DorF, if it's all the same to you, Blondie." a man said from inside the house. "And, I'll leave when I'm good and ready."

Helga kicked the side of the stairs and walked away. "I'll be back and you had better be gone!"

_'Line Break'_

As the sun was setting, Arnold and Jackie were finally leaving school.

"Four. Hours." Jackie muttered. "Thanks a lot Arnold! We had to stay FOUR HOURS after school!" She yelled, crossing her arms.

"Hey, I was only responsible for one hour of our detention. You're the one who had to call the principle 'Baldy Head'. So quit blaming me." Arnold said, calmly.

"Well…she had it coming! It's not my fault that she pulls out her hair when she's mad." Jackie explained, making Arnold laugh. Her expression changed from mad to tired. "Great. Now I have to walk all the way home in the dark! You're lucky you live close to school, Arnold." she sighed.

"Why don't you sleep over then?" he asked, as they approached his house. "Sleep…over?" she mumbled, a shocked sort of expression on her face. Arnold soon realized how what he said could have sounded, "Uh!! Just cause' it's getting late and you live pretty far away! I have no ulterior motive!"

Jackie smiled cutely, and walked up the steps of the boarding house. "Awww, that's too bad." she said, playing with her hair. Arnold blushed so much that his ears turned pink. "So you're staying then?" He asked, his voice going an octave higher then usual. "Yep."

After Arnold explained Jackie's situation to his grandparents and after she called her house to let them know, they went upstairs to watch a movie.

_'Line Break'_

Helga stomped back to the house after wandering around the city for the day. She rang the doorbell and Mr. Dorf answered. "Oh it's you again," he said, glaring at her. "Well you're in luck, I'm leaving now."

Helga smiled and rushed past him. Phil noticed her waiting around in the living room. "Hey who are you?" he asked, walking over to her. "Doi. I'm the girl from earlier." she replied. "My room all ready?"

Phil smacked himself in the forehead. "Oh I'm sorry! I completely forgot about you. Someone else is going to stay in there tonight." Helga stomped her foot. "You forgot!? Who on Earth is here now?! How could you have already given up my room so easily?!" she demanded.

"Relax blondie, it was just for tonight, but I'll go ask her to sleep somewhere else." He said, walking over to the stairs. "Come on, I'll show you your room."

Helga followed him up the stairs and noticed that they were going up to…Arnold's room?! Phil opened the door and walked right in. That is…walked right in and interrupted a serious make-out session.

"Grandpa! Knock first!" Arnold shouted, wiping Jackie's lip gloss off of his face. Jackie sat up and crossed her arms. "Jeez, Gramps. How many times have we asked you to knock first?!" she yelled. Phil laughed. "Sorry Jackie, And I forgot that I already rented out that available room so is it alright if you sleep in here tonight?"

Helga pushed past Phil and stared at Arnold. And Jackie. His so-called-pet-dog. "Who is that?" Arnold asked, pointing to Helga.

Helga became extremely furious. "How could you not know who I am?! And you! Jackie! Who gave YOU the right to steal my Football Head!?" she shouted, stomping over to them. Arnold's eyes widened.

"H-Helga?!"

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Bee: O.O...XDDDDD Uh-oh

Please Review! Thanks for reading!


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